bikes

[ac427cpe]

i was going to post these a while ago, but.... fell asleep at the comp or something... but i found them again today! so... yeah.... these are my non-car babies.

[freakray]

I don't care for the LeMond, but that MOHO is kickass, Mountain Cycles are all round sweetness, but being an ex XC racer, hardtails still own my heart!!

I don't have a photo of my MTB, but it is a Giant Team-ATX with Rolf Dolomite wheels, a Judy SL(Couldn't get a SID in South Africa) and some other nice parts that keep it light.

Ray

[Suislide]

the MOHO is pretty damn sweet. i'm a hardtail man myself. i have a Trek 6000 aluminum with Judy's and Bontrager wheels and tires. i'll get a pic of it soon.

[ac427cpe]

good times guys! if you're ever in az, i can suggest some choice riding!

Ray - where did u race XC?

[freakray]

I used to race the National circuit in South Africa and the odd international when I could....
Nothing world cup though, just African Continental Cup and the like.

Was good fun and got to be friends with some of the World Cup riders as well as a lot of top South African guys

Ray

[450HPviper]

Sweet rides, Are you running a water bottle full of NOS:hehe:

You have some balls if you are.

Always wear your helmet.

[YogsVR4]

Can you tell me what it is about those bikes that make them great? I own an old K-Mart special thats 10yrs old and rides straight and true. What makes these so much better?

[freakray]

Originally posted by YogsVR4
Can you tell me what it is about those bikes that make them great? I own an old K-Mart special thats 10yrs old and rides straight and true. What makes these so much better?

Will your K-Mart special handle racing?
My bike it designed to be raced and ridden hard, it will handle significantly quicker off road than your K-Mart bike, it will climb faster than your K-Mart bike and due to the materials it is made from, it will last longer than your K-Mart bike. My complete bike weighs 23lbs.

Trying to race a K-Mart bike is like trying to enter a drag race in stock Civic....what would you be doing there?

You are asking me to compare your K-Mart bike to my Giant Team-ATX, it is like me asking you to compare a Ford Pinto to a Ferrari 360.

Would you try the TdeF on a K-Mart bike?

[YogsVR4]

Let me explain how I read what you wrote

Will your K-Mart special handle racing?

I assume you mean some sort of professional racing. I am unfamiliar with what racing you may be refering to. For the tour de france - surely not.

My bike it designed to be raced and ridden hard, it will handle significantly quicker off road than your K-Mart bike, it will climb faster than your K-Mart bike and due to the materials it is made from, it will last longer than your K-Mart bike. My complete bike weighs 23lbs.

I understand this probably goes with the racing theme. I'm sure you can ride faster up the hill on my bike then I could on yours. Perhaps you should have said that its lighter weight which helps in getting up a hill. As for lasting longer - mine has made it 10yrs for a small price. I dont want this to turn into a cost/value thing. As I did in the first post, I just wondered since I don't know anything about those bikes.

Trying to race a K-Mart bike is like trying to enter a drag race in stock Civic....what would you be doing there?

I dont see that comparison. Other then materials, the actual racing on a bike is done by the rider. Among equal riders the bike will make a difference but not like a dragster and a civic where the car provides the actual propulsion. Seems like a strange comparison.

You are asking me to compare your K-Mart bike to my Giant Team-ATX, it is like me asking you to compare a Ford Pinto to a Ferrari 360.

I did not ask to compare - I asked what was different because I didn't know. If I was unfamiliar with the Ferrari I would ask the same question.

Would you try the TdeF on a K-Mart bike?

I have no idea what TdeF is. I assume its some sort of race again.

I would have been happy if you had said - the bike is made out of xxx material that increases the bikes durability and reduces weight. Its most often used for racing or by enthusiasts. (which is what I am reading between the lines of your post) It was not a rip on the bikes or to say KMart makes one as wel..

[freakray]

OK...sorry....I was posting in a hurry earlier....

TdeF is the Tour De France

When I say racing, I raced both on the road and cross-country mountain bikes, K-Mart bikes won't last long in either condition, seriously (I worked in a bike shop and have seen the results).

Admittedly the rider makes the most difference, but the bike is as much a part of it.
A stiffer frame will climb better than a frame with a lot of flex in it(which K-Mart bikes do have, even though you don't notice it), but the best bike for climbing on a XC course is also the worst for descending because the stiff frame doesn't absorb shock.
Another thing that has a big effect on acceleration is the wheels, believe it or not, the lighter your wheels, the better you can accelerate, if you notice the 'weird' spoke pattern on the wheels of both of ac427cpe's bikes, that actually helps him be faster due to the low spoke count and high tension.
Overall, the lighter the bike, the faster you can make it go because you are propelling less inertial weight (Lance Armstrong's road bike weighs 14 lbs which is the UCI minimum for a competitive road bike the last time I checked the rules and heard his bike weight)

If you want to hear materials, my bikes frame is made out of Alcoa CU92 Aluminum, the bare frame weights 3 lbs, which at the time was lighter than some Carbon Fibre bikes like the Trek 9.0

As you can tell, we can baffle you with figures and science here, sorry about the previous post.

if you want to see some MTB racing photos, their is a great site that has literally hundreds of photos: http://www.fattirefotos.com

Ray

[YogsVR4]

Thanks! Now I have a much better understanding. I also know what you mean about the weight of the wheels taking more energy. Its called unsprung force and its something almost all people deal with when they put larger rims on their cars. The spoke pattern is something I want to read up on. It'd be interesting to know how that was figured out. What can I say - I'm a "how'd they do that" nut.

Thanks again